Apparatus for making feed stuff containing bagasse, protein and yeast

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is apparatus for making a feed stuff for cattles, pigs, or poultry by subjecting a mixture of bagasse, Candida utilis or a variety of yeast fungus, var major, and Tichoderma viride to a fermentation treatment, mixing a fermentation product with the crushed and dried top portion of sugar canes, having added thereto cereals, and rolling and drying a resultant mixture into a desired shape.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a divisional of copending application Ser. No. 283,156 filed Aug. 23, 1972 and entitled PROCESS OF MAKING THE FEED STUFF CONTAINING BAGASSE, PROTEIN, AND YEAST now U.S. Pat. No. 3,903,307.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to apparatus for making a feed containing bagasse, yeast, and protein for cattle, pigs, or poultry by mixing bagasse, i.e., crushed sugar-cane refuse from sugar making, with a protein yeast fungus, Candida utilis or the parent yeast, C. utilis var major and cellulose decomposing bacteria, Trichoderma viride, by fermenting the mixture of the above materials at the optimum temperature of fermentation, by mixing, in a definite ratio, the fermented bagasse mixture and the top portion of a sugar cane which has been crushed, dried, and mixed with cereals, and then by rolling and drying the resultant mixture into an appropriate feeding shape.

There are many sugar producing countries and in a large majority of these countries, sugar is produced from sugar cane, which provides a large amount of bagasse. However, there have not yet been developed proper ways of utilizing bagasse and thus these countries are suffering from the disposal of the accumulated bagasse.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is thus an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which will avoid the above drawbacks.

Candida utilis can be used for a food and feed as a yeast fungus and in this invention an increase in the amount of fungus is achieved by using waste molasses, etc., as the cultivation medium. It has been noticed that because the fungus has a function of accumulating a protein having a high nutritional value in the body of yeast, the bagasse can be utilized as a feed containing a highly nutritious protein by using the above-mentioned fungus as a protein yeast fungus for a mixed feed mainly consisting of the bagasse. It has also been confirmed that the cultivation of the yeast can be accomplished in a quite short period of time different from other yeasts and yeast is effective for mass production, i.e. the yeast can be increased to 12 times the amount of the seed yeast in six hours by cultivating the yeast in a neutralized liquid of waste molasses in an aerated atmosphere.

The composition of the protein yeast fungus, Candida utilis, is as follows:

    ______________________________________                                                      Proportion (grams per 100 g.                                      Components   of the dried yeast fungus)                                        ______________________________________                                         Protein      46.0       g.                                                     Lipid        2.8        g.                                                     Carbohydrate 37.7       g.                                                     Ash content  5.5        g.                                                     Calcium      50         mg.                                                    Phosphorus   1100       mg.                                                    Iron         80         mg                                                     Vitamin A    0                                                                 Vitamin B.sub.1                                                                             2.5        mg.                                                    Vitamin B.sub.2                                                                             2.6        mg.                                                    Nicotinic acid                                                                              30         mg.                                                    Vitamin C    0                                                                 ______________________________________                                    

Furthermore, Trichoderma viride is a fungus for producing dextrose by the decomposition action of the cellulose and hemicellulose of crude fibers, plentifully contained in the bagasse or grasses for crude feeds.

It has also been discovered that by decreasing the proportion of the crude fibers in the bagasse by utilizing the yeast fungus, the nutritional value as the feed stuff is increased, the feed becomes digestable, and the bagasse containing a large proportion of crude fibers can be utilized as a mixed feed.

Based on the aforesaid discoveries, as the results of extensive studies, it has been possible to attain an economical apparatus for producing a complete feed stuff for domestic animals by mixing bagasse with fungi such as Candida utilis or C. utilis var major, which is the parent yeast of Candida utilis and Trichoderma viride, and by fermenting the mixture in a multiple-tank type fermentator to increase the nutritional value of the bagasse feed and the digestability of the feed and the proportion of protein in the feed, and by adjusting properly the proportion of the crude fibers necessary for a ruminant, and, further, by adding to the fermented mixture a starch source suitable for ox, pig, etc.

Moreover, as a plant for suitably conducting the above process the improved apparatus comprises (A) a bagasse treating means for fermenting the raw material bagasse to provide the bagasse containing a protein suitable for animal feed; (B) a green stalk treating means for cutting, drying and crushing the top portion of sugar cane (hereinafter, the portion, grasses and other greens are called "green stalk") and adding thereto cereals; and (C) a means for mixing the bagasse from the bagasse treating means (A) and the treated green stalk from the means (B) for rolling the mixture into a sheet having a definite width and thickness followed by drying and cutting to an appropriate length.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Now, the invention will be explained in detail referring to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of the whole apparatus of this invention for producing feed stuff containing bagasse and yeast proteins;

FIG. 2 is a front view showing an embodiment of the bagasse treating means of this invention;

FIG. 3 is a front view showing an embodiment of the green stalk treating means of this invention;

FIG. 4 is a sectional front view showing the fermentation and agitation means used in this invention,

FIG. 5 is a schematic view illustrating time intervals for withdrawing fermented products from the fermentation means;

FIG. 6 is a sectional front view showing the hot blast crushing means used in this invention;

FIG. 7 is a sectional side view taken along the line VII--VII of the means of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a front view showing means of conducting the rolling, drying, cutting, and storage of the fermented mixture;

FIG. 9 is a flow sheet illustrating the process performed with the apparatus of this invention;

FIG. 10 is a sectional front view showing another embodiment of the fermentation and agitation means used in this invention;

FIG. 11 is a sectional side view of the fermentation and agitation means of FIG. 10,

FIG. 12 is the enlarged front view of the rolling means of the apparatus shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 13 is a front view of the rolling means of FIG. 12 with its parts separated, and

FIG. 14 is an enlarged sectional side view showing the wire netting member used in the rolling, fermenting, and mixing means of FIG. 8;

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The apparatus of this invention is composed (FIG. 1) of the bagasse treating system (A) for fermenting a raw material bagasse to provide the bagasse containing a protein and crude fibers suitable for animal feed; the green stalk treating system (B) for finely cutting a green stalk, i.e., the top portion of a sugar cane, drying the cut green stalk by a hot blast, and adding cereals to the dried green stalk; and a packing system (C) for mixing in a definite weight ratio of the bagasse from the system (A) and the green stalk from the system (B), for rolling the mixture into a sheet having a definite width and a definite thickness, for drying the sheet, and for cutting the sheet into a definite length.

First, the treatment of bagasse in the bagasse treating system (A) is described below in detail. The bagasse coming from sugar plants in the shape of cubes is first stored.

In FIG. 1, bagasse is fed into a crushing machine 1, in which the bagasse is finely crushed, and the bagasse thus crushed is sent to an agitating means 3 by the belt conveyor 2 disposed under the bottom of the crushing machine 1.

The crushed bagasse thus introduced into the agitating means 3 is agitated sufficiently while being sterilized by the steam supplied from a boiler 30 and is sent to a fungus addition tank 5 by means of a belt conveyor 4, disposed under the bottom of the agitating means 3.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the fungus addition tank 5 consists of an upper section 5A and a lower section 5B. The crushed bagasse introduced into the upper section 5A is mixed with a diluted aqueous dispersion of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) such as a crushed coral reef, which is sprayed onto the bagasse from above through a water storage tank 6 (FIG. 1) whereby the crushed bagasse is incorporated with calcium carbonate and further cooled to the optimum temperature and neutralized by the diluted aqueous dispersion. The bagasse thus treated is then introduced into the lower section 5B, in which a speed fungus liquid containing Trichoderma viride is added to the bagasse, and then sent to the top of a multi-stage type fermentation tank 18 by means of a conveyor 17 as shown in FIG. 2. The fermentation tank 18 illustrated in FIG. 2 is composed of four stages of fermentation sections and the material to be fermented thus sent to the top of the tank 18 is sufficiently fermented and decomposed through the four stages to provide a soft product. That is, the bagasse thus supplied to the top of the tank 18 is decomposed by fermentation through the first and second stages and then in the third stage, a dough yeast, Saccharomyces cervisiae, is added to the bagasse thus decomposed and the bagasse mixture is neutralized by liquid CaCO₃. Furthermore, a seed yeast is added to the neutralized bagasse mixture to increase a protein source.

As the cultivation source for the fungus, a waste molasses or malt of bran are mixed with bagasse. The culture medium is different from that for Trichoderma veride and by using the combination of the two cultivations, the composite nutrition source is added to the bagasse.

The bagasse thus enriched with the protein is then sent to a mixing tank 20 from the bottom of the tank 18 by means of a belt conveyor 19 disposed under the bottom of the fermentation tank 18, and in the mixing tank 20, vitamins and other nutrition sources having high nutritional values, such aS Chlorella ellipsoidea and comfrey may be added to the bagasse, and also for the betterment of taste, Nucleotide liquids of RNA components may be added by using yeast cultivated in tank 13 (FIG. 1). For example, enzymes such as Candida flaveri, C. Guillier mondire, Clostridium acetobutylieum, Eremothe cium ashpyii, or Ashpya gosipii are neutralized, purified and then added to the tank 20 as an additive for Vitamin B₂ to increase the nutritional value of the bagasse.

As shown in FIG. 2, the mixing tank 20 consists of upper and lower sections, in which the bagasse is mixed with the protein source, the green stalk, the starch source, and the vitamin source which are supplied from other sources.

Each section of the tank 18 is equipped with a nozzle pipe 66 as shown in FIG. 10 and through the nozzle compressed air is supplied from a compressor 16 as shown in FIG. 1 into the tank, whereby the fermentation of the bagasse is conducted under the optimum conditions to decompose the bagasse and cultivate the yeast and thereafter the bagasse is collected in the tank 20 as mentioned above.

The bagasse thus fermented is withdrawn from the tank 18 with a delayed time relation as shown in FIG. 5, for example from four tanks 18a-18d successively every hours in the example of this invention. The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5 shows an example of the delayed time relation between the time of supplying a raw bagasse to each of four tanks 18a, 18b, 18c, and 18d and the time of withdrawing the bagasse fermented in the tank taking, for example, about four hours in the illustrated example. In the tank 18a shown as the far right tank of the four tanks, the first supply of the raw bagasse started, e.g., at eight (o'clock), the first withdrawal of the bagasse thus fermented in the tank is started at twelve, the second supply of raw bagasse started at twelve, the second withdrawal of the bagasse fermented in the tank started at sixteen, the third supply of a raw bagasse started at sixteen, the third withdrawal of the bagasse fermented started at twenty, the fourth (final) supply of a raw bagasse started at twenty, and the fourth withdrawal of the bagasse fermented in the tank started at twenty four. In the tank 18b among the four tanks, each of the same operations as above started one hour later. Furthermore, in the third tank 18c from the right end in FIG. 5, each of the same operations as the tank 18b started an additional hour later (two hours later as compared with the operation time of the tank 18a), and in the tank 18d disposed at the left end, each of the same operations as the tank 18c is started one hour later (three hours later as compared with the operation time of the tank 18a).

Accordingly, in the case of supplying a raw bagasse to the tanks 18a, 18b, 18c, and 18d from the tank 5 through the conveyor 17, the successive operations of supplying the raw bagasse to the tank 18a during the first one hour period, supplying the bagasse to the tank 18b during the next one hour period, supplying the bagasse to the tank 18c during the next one hour period, and supplying the bagasse to the tank 18d during the next one hour period is repeated four times. Also, the supply of the fermented bagasse from the four tanks 18 to the mixing tank 20 is conducted every hour from each of the tanks 18a, 18b, 18c, and 18d successively.

In addition, the aforesaid embodiment was explained in connection with the case where the fermentation of bagasse in the tank 18 requires about four hours and thus if the fermentation period of time in each of the tanks is about 6 hours, the supply of the raw bagasse (and the withdrawal of the fermented bagasse) are conducted every 1.5 hours. In other words, if H is the fermentation period of time of bagasse and N is the number of tanks, the length of the "postponed time" in the specification is defined to be H/N.

A part of the bagasse fermented in the tank 18 is then sent back to the fungus addition tank 5 as a source for yeast cultivation by means of a belt conveyer 21. Also, on the other hand, a molasses is sent through a water tank 6 (FIG. 1) a waste molasses tank 8, a boiler 30, a first storage tank 9 for perphosphoric acid, and the tank 10 for ammonia to a molasses storage tank as the neutralized molasses and then the molasses liquid in the molasses tank 11 is sent to the fermentation tank 13. A seed yeast liquid is sent from a seed yeast tank 12 to the fermentation tank 13, (FIG. 9), wherein the protein yeast is continuously cultivated while stirring by compressed air at the optimum temperature. The aeration is conducted by sending compressed air through the nozzle pipes 7 and 15 shown in FIG. 4 from the compressor 16 (FIG. 9) and by the aeration to provide the optimum conditions for the cultivation of yeast. The protein yeast thus cultivated in the fermentation tank 13 is collected in the mixing tank 20 through a conduit.

Also, the cultivation of a protein yeast, Candida utilis, is conducted in the tank 13 containing a perphosphoric acid solution, aqueous ammonia, an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution, and an ammonium sulfate solution to supply nitrogen suitable for the yeast and adjust the pH of the system to about 4.5 suitable for the cultivation. The protein yeast thus cultivated in the tank 13 is then introduced into the mixing tank 20.

Thus, in the tank 20, the cultivated yeast, Candida utilis is mixed with the fermented bagasse sent from the tank 18 together with other starch source and vitamin source.

In each tank, a suitable culture medium is formed by the yeast added, the pH thereof is adjusted properly, and the optimum temperature is maintained. One of the preferable conditions for yeast cultivation is provided to the system in each tank by aeration through an air supply nozzle 15 shown in FIG. 4. The aeration to each tank is conducted by sending compressed air from the compressor 16 to provide the preferable conditions for cultivation.

Thus, the bagasse sent into the fermentation tanks -- is sufficiently fermented, decomposed in the tanks by the optimum aeration and then introduced into the mixing tank 20 in the system (C) by means of a belt conveyor 19 with the definite time interval as stated above in regard to in FIG. 5 (e.g., every hour in the example) and at the same time a part of the bagasse in the tanks 18 is supplied back to the fungus addition tank 5 as the yeast source. Furthermore, the protein source cultivated in the tank 13 and other materials are collected in the tank 20 and then the mixture is sent to a chute 43 (FIG. 1). The chemical composition of the decomposed bagasse sent into the mixing tank 20 from the fermentation tank 18 is as follows:

    ______________________________________                                         Component             Proportion                                               ______________________________________                                         Crude protein         34.5 %                                                   Crude fat             6.59%                                                    Crude ash content     5.21%                                                    Water-soluble inorganic                                                        nitrogen compound     28.7 %                                                   ______________________________________                                    

As mentioned above, the bagasse is mixed with the yeasts, fermented, and decomposed to increase its nutritional value and digestability as well as protein content. Then, the decomposed bagasse thus treated is controlled to have a proper proportion of crude fibers necessary for ruminants such as oxen, etc., and also mixed with a cereal powder as a starch source and vitamins in the below mentioning green stalk treating system (B). Also, in the case of producing feed for pigs or hens, the crude fibers may be finely crushed.

Another embodiment of the fermentation and agitation tank is illustrated in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 of the accompanying drawings. The apparatus is so constructed that the bagasse is mixed with a yeast liquid and fermented to be decomposed into a soft fibrous material and to absorb the nutrition source for yeast growth on the bagasse, whereby a main component for the composite feed for domestic animals, such as oxen, horses, pigs, hens, etc. is prepared.

That is, at the bottom of a storage agitation tank 63 (FIGS. 10 and 11), equipped with a bagasse inlet 61 and an yeast liquid inlet 62, is formed an automatic outlet for bagasse. The storage agitation tank 63 is also equipped with a number of rotary shafts 65, 65 in several stages and agitators 67, 67 are mounted on each rotary shaft. Furthermore, a supply pipe 68, having spray nozzles 66, 66 for spraying steam and liquid at a proper temperature in proper amounts, is provided at a relatively high position in the storage tank 63. A small-scale automatic oil jack 69 is connected to movable bottom 64 of tank 63 to move the closure wall 64 between a closed position and an open discharge position. Chains and sprockets 70, 71 are provided for rotating simultaneously the rotary shafts 65, 65.

In carrying out the fermentation and decomposition of bagasse by this apparatus, the bagasse is continuously supplied to a storage tank 63 through an inlet 61 and rotary shafts 65, 65 are rotated to agitate the bagasse by the agitators 67, 67, fixed to the rotary shafts 65, 65, and at the same time, yeast liquid is supplied into the storage tank 63 from the yeast liquid inlet 62 at the top of the storage tank 63 and also air is sprayed into the storage tank 63 through the spray nozzles 66 of the supply pipe 68.

By the procedure mentioned above, yeast can be cultivated under the optimum conditions, the acid contained in bagasse is neutralized and maintained at the optimum pH, and thus a fermentation is conducted to decompose bagasse fibers to provide the soft bagasse. In this case, the optimum temperature depends upon the kind of the yeast used and the control of the temperature of air in adjusting the fermentation temperature is effected by adjusting the temperature of the air or liquid sprayed through spray nozzles 66, 66.

As mentioned above, the bagasse thus feremented and decomposed is a main component of the composite feed. The bagasse thus decomposed by fermentation is dropped successively onto the outlet or closure 64 which can be opened and closed automatically and which is provided at the bottom of the storage tank 63, and then the discharge sent to the subsequent tank by means of a belt conveyer, etc. The embodiment shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 provides a proper means of controlling the decomposition action of the bagasse by yeast by adjusting the treating period of time and further by supplying a fresh liquid through the yeast liquid inlet 62.

Then, the green stalk is supplied to a crusher 22 (FIG. 1) which is the first step of the green stalk treating system (B), in which the green stalk is crushed, and then the crushed green stalk is introduced into an agitating means 24 by means of a belt conveyer 23, disposed under the bottom of a crushing machine 22. As shown in FIG. 3, the green stalk which is sufficiently agitated is sent to the top of a drying unit 52 by means of a bucket conveyer 51, disposed under the bottom of the agitating means 24. After the green stalk is sufficiently dried in this screen conveyer type of multiple drying unit, it is carried by a belt conveyer 53 and introduced into the end of a hot blast type crushing means 26 by means of a screw conveyer 25.

The cross sectional front view and side view of the hot blast type crushing means 26 are shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, respectively. In FIGS. 6 and 7 a cylinder 55 of said crushing means 26 is rotatably supported by a supporting member 54 and two compressive plates 28 each having an arched portion 57 are disposed at the center of the bottom of the cylinder 55, while applying an elastic outwardly directing force to the lower portions of the compressive plates by means of a compressed spring 56, so that the compressive plates are in contact with each other at the back sides. At the outside of the arched concave portions of the compressive plates 28 are disposed two crushing rollers 29 feeding downwardly along the arched concave portions 57 of the compressive plates 28.

When the green stalk is continuously supplied to the rear portion of the cylinder through screw conveyer 51, disposed behind the upper portion of the cylinder, the green stalk thus supplied is moved forwardly slowly in the cylinder 55 by means of a screw feed 27, formed on the inside wall of the cylinder 55, during which the green stalk is slowly crushed by the sliding force generated between the crushing rollers 29 and the arched concave portions 57 of the compressive plates 28. Furthermore, because the compressive plates 28 which are disposed at the center of the bottom of the cylinder 55 in back to back relation are provided with the outwardly directing elastic force at the bottom portions, the green stalk is smoothly crushed by the compressive force between the arched concave portions 57 of the compressive plates 28 and the crushing rollers 20 and then the green stalk thus crushed is continuously withdrawn from the cylinder 55 by a screw conveyer 31, disposed at the front portion of the cylinder 55. Moreover, during the crushing operation, the green stalk may be dried by passing a hot blast through the cylinder and then the screw conveyer 31 is connected to a cold blast type crushing means 32. The structure of the interior of the cold blast type crushing means 32 is almost the same as that of the hot blast type crushing means 26. The green stalk is further crushed more finely in the cold blast type crushing means 32, sent to a storage and agitation tank 34 by means of a screw conveyer 33, and then sent to a measuring device 36 from the bottom of the storage and agitation tank 34 in a predetermined amount by means of a belt conveyer 35.

To the measuring device is sent little by little a crushed cereal from a hopper 37, a crushing machine 38, and a storage and agitation tank 39 and definite amounts of the crushed and dried green stalk and the crushed cereal measured in the measuring device 36 are sent to the mixing tank, which is the first step in the above-mentioned course (C), by means of a belt conveyer 41.

Accordingly, the bagasse fermented, the protein and other nutritious sources from the tank 13, and the mixture of the green stalk and the cereal thus crushed are supplied to the mixing tank 20 in proper ratios and sufficiently agitated in the mixing tank 20 to provide the non-dried mixture for a composite feed. The non-dried mixture is supplied to a chute 43 by means of a belt conveyer 42, disposed under the bottom of the mixing tank 20, and then fabricated into the sheet having a definite width and a definite thickness by the rolling means 44, connected in parallel to the bottom of the chute 43.

One embodiment of the rolling means is illustrated in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13. Two compression rolls 74 are disposed in a lower portion of the hopper 73 having an inlet 60 at the top thereof and an outlet 72 at a lower and front portion thereof so that the rolls 74 can be rotated in opposite directions to each other for sending downward the materials supplied under compression. A vibration machine is disposed at outlet 72 to insure a uniform thickness of the material thus sent downward. Under the bottom of the hopper 73 is disposed the back portion of a caterpillar type belt 75, having a definite length for sending materials from the hopper. Also, a caterpillar type conveyer 76 for rolling, having a definite length, is disposed above the front portion of the caterpillar type conveyer 75 in parallel with the conveyer 75 with an interval 77 slightly smaller than the vertical width (H) of the outlet portion 72 of the hopper 73.

In the example of the system shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, the vertical width (H) of the outlet 72 of the hopper 73 is 7 mm. and the interval 77 between the caterpillar type belt 75 and the caterpillar type belt 76 is 5 mm. The thickness thereof can be adjusted. Thus, when the fermented mixture treated in the above means is introduced in the hopper 73, the fermented mixture is forcibly supplied onto the caterpillar type belt 75 disposed under the bottom of the hopper by means of the compression rolls 74 and 74 disposed in the lower portion of the hopper 73 and then transferred as a layer of the fermented mixture having a definite thickness determined by the width (H) of the outlet 72 of the hopper 73 on the belt 75. The layer of the fermented mixture thus transferred on the belt 75 is compressed in the space between the conveyer 75 and the caterpillar type conveyer 77 travelling in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 12. Then, the mixture is withdrawn from the end of the caterpillar type belt 75 as the belt-shaped product having a definite thickness. The fermented mixture, a belt-shaped product with a definite thickness, is then transferred continuously from the end of a caterpillar type belt 75 into the conveyer 59 of a drying unit to go through a zigzag drying path, and after thus being dried, is cut into a desired length.

The means for drying the belt-shaped product is illustrated in FIG. 8 and FIG. 14. As shown, wire netting conveyers 59 detain between them the belt-shaped product 84 supplied to the space between the caterpillar type belt 75 and the caterpillar type belt 76 for compression from the back end portion of the drying duct passageway 58. The drying means is composed of a zigzag drying passageway having drying heaters or boilers 78 at three positions of the lower portion of the passage 58 and the belt-shaped product held by the wire netting members 59 is sent through the zigzag path 58 to an outlet 81. Above the outlet 81 of the zigzag path 58 are disposed cutting rollers 82 through which the wire netting members 59 of the upper and lower surfaces of the product dried and sent from the outlet 81 of the zigzag drying path 58 are separated from the product by a take-up means 83 and the product is put into a desired rectangular form.

The rectangular product is then cut into a desired length by means of a cutting means 46 and packed. That is, in front of the rollers 82 is disposed the cutting means 46 for cutting the dried product into a desired length. Also, in front of the cutting means 46 is disposed a chute 47 for piling the dried product thus cut into the desired length and having an outlet 85 for the product in its front part. Thus, the product cut into a desired shape and packed are piled in the chute 47 and packed. Therefore, the mixed feed thus packed in the chute 47 has a definite shape and thickness and can be withdrawn from the bottom of the chute 47 and transferred into a storehouse by means of a truck 48, etc.

As mentioned above, according to the present invention, complete feed suitable for cattle, horses, pigs, poultry, etc., can be continuously produced in a large scale and economically by using as main raw material, the decomposed bagasse prepared by fermentation using specific fungi to provide the decomposed bagasse containing a large proportion of protein and a reduced amount of crude fibers, 

What is claimed is:
 1. In a plant for providing feed suitable for consumption by animals, fermentation means for providing a fermentation product from a material such as a suitably treated raw bagasse, supply means for supplying a substantially dry crushed product, mixing means, conveyer means extending between and communicating with said mixing means and said supply means as well as said fermentation means for conveying to said mixing means both the product supplied by said supply means and the fermentation product of said fermentation means, said mixing means being adapted to mix both of said products together, and shaping means operatively connected with said mixing means for receiving therefrom a mixture mixed by said mixing means and for providing from said mixture feed units having a shape determined by said shaping means, said shaping means including a pair of elongated endless belts situated one over the other for defining between themselves an elongated belt-shaped space for receiving the mixture from said mixing means and for forming the mixture into an elongated belt-shaped configuration, zig-zag means cooperating with said belts for receiving the belt-shaped product and for directing the latter back and forth along a zig-zag path in a drying atmosphere, said zig-zag means including conveyers which convey the product along said zig-zag path and which include wire-net members, the latter becoming separated from each other at a predetermined location, and a cutting means situated at the latter location and cooperating with said conveyers of said zig-zag means for cutting the dried product previously conveyed along said zig-zag path into predetermined lengths.
 2. The combination of claim 1 and including a crushing means for crushing a material such as raw bagasse, tank means for receiving the crushed product and for combining the latter with additions such as a fungus addition, and a pair of conveyer means one extending between said crushing means and tank means for conveying the product from said crushing means to the tank means and the other extending between said tank means and fermentation means for conveying the product after treatment in said tank means to said fermentation means to be subjected to fermentation therein.
 3. The combination of claim 2 and wherein an additional conveyer means extends from said fermentation means to said tank means for conveying back to the latter part of the fermentation product of said fermentation means.
 4. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said fermentation means includes a plurality of fermentation units adapted to be operated at staggered time intervals for making a fermentation product available over an almost continuous time period to be conveyed to said mixing means.
 5. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said fermentation means includes a tank having at an upper portion an inlet for receiving a product to be fermented, said tank carrying in its interior a plurality of rotary stirring means for stirring the product in the fermentation tank, and said tank also including in its interior a spray means for spraying a fluid into the interior of said tank as well as having at its lower end a discharge means for discharging the fermented product out of said tank.
 6. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said supply means has a pair of portions one for supplying a material such as suitably treated green stalk material and the other for supplying a material such as a cereal, measuring means cooperating with both of said portions of said supply means for receiving both materials therefrom and for measuring the received materials to provide predetermined quantities thereof to be conveyed by said conveyer means to said mixing means.
 7. The combination of claim 1 and wherein one of said endless belts receives the mixture prior to the other, and means situated over said one endless belt for delivering the product thereto to be conveyed thereby, the latter means including a pair of rollers for compressing the mixture, a hopper in which said rollers are situated, and an outlet of predetermined width situated directly over said belt for discharging the product from said hopper in a predetermined thickness and width to said one belt.
 8. The combination of claim 1 and wherein a tank means communicates with said mixing means for adding to the mixture therein a nutritious product such as a suitable protein.
 9. The combination of claim 8 and wherein said tank means includes in its interior a rotary beater means and a spray means for spraying a fluid into the interior of said tank means.
 10. In a plant for providing feed suitable for consumption by animals, fermentation means for providing a fermentation product from a material such as a suitably treated raw bagasse, supply means for supplying a substantially dry crushed product, mixing means, conveyer means extending between and communicating with said mixing means and said supply means as well as said fermentation means for conveying to said mixing means both the product supplied by said supply means and the fermentation product of said fermentation means, said mixing means being adapted to mix both of said products together, and shaping means operatively connected with said mixing means for receiving therefrom a mixture mixed by said mixing means and for providing from said mixture feed units having a shape determined by said shaping means, said supply means including a hot-blast crusher which comprises a rotary exterior cylinder having in its interior a pair of rotary crushing rollers and a pair of springy curved metal members situated adjacent said crushing rollers so that product in said cylinder will be crushed by the action of said rollers and springy members, fluid-supply means communicating with the interior of said cylinder for supplying a hot blast to the latter, and a pair of conveyers one of which communicates with said cylinder for conveying the product to be crushed to said cylinder and the other of communicates with said cylinder for conveying the crushed product from said cylinder. 